The Equation that Taught me Discipline


Hey Reader,

Today, I want to talk about how not being an executor caused my first business to fail.

“I’ll Do It Later” Almost Ruined My Life

In 2017, I launched my first side project with friends. It was a diversity-focused magazine called SHADES—my attempt to showcase my diverse friend group and the beauty of diversity. This was the same year as the Charlottesville Rally (Boo).

But within a year, it flopped. My friends dropped the project. And honestly? I don’t blame them.

I was constantly

  • Missing meetings
  • Moving deadlines
  • Changing directions
  • Distracted by shiny-object syndrome

I’d say I was going to do something, and it wouldn’t get done. This also extended into my personal life.

I’m going to

  • the gym later
  • start that project this week.
  • learn how to code this year
  • [Important task] [later date]

Then I’d

  • Get distracted by weekend plans
  • Spend all my time watching TV
  • Getting lost in social media

I was always committing to things in the future, but never doing them.

I taught myself that it’s ok not to follow through.

Ultimately, I wasn’t an executor... But I am an overthinker.

So I asked, “What does this mean for my future?”

I saw into the future like That’s so Raven.

  • Stuck in a cubicle.
  • Playing Corporate Frankie 9 to 5
  • Constantly feeling like a loser
  • My goals would remain dreams
  • Full of regret

A perfect recipe for an unfulfilling life. And, honestly, that scared the shit out of me!

If I can’t keep my promises to myself, my goals would remain dreams.

So, I asked myself,

“What if I actually did everything I said I would?”

The Success Equation

Success is determined by your ability to turn thoughts into actions.

Michael Seibel (ex-CEO of YC and co-founder of Twitch) said

“Great founders execute… They say they’re going to do something. Two weeks later, they’ve done it and learned something.”

Let me break it down into math

Success = # of smart ideas launched = The more ideas you launch, the more likely you are to succeed

Success = Intelligence (I) x Execution (E)

Intelligence = Smart Ideas/Ideas Generated = Intelligent people generate more smart ideas

  • If I had 100 ideas and 50 were good, I = 50%
  • If I had 100 ideas and 10 were good, I = 10%

Execution = Ideas Launched/Year = Executors complete more things in less time

  • If I launched 2 ideas per year, E = 2
  • If I launched 2 ideas per month, E = 24.33

Even if you're a genius (I = 90%)... But, you execute 0 ideas, success = 0.

If you're average-smart (I = 30%) and execute 12 ideas a year, success = 3.60

No matter how smart you are, it means nothing if you don’t ship.

Don’t wait to see someone else get rich from your great idea. It will happen!

The Results

Once I understood this equation, I optimized for launching.

It allowed me to

  • Earn my first online dollar
  • Hit $1k MRR
  • Close my first $2k deal
  • ~4x'd my monthly revenue in a year

All my goals became a question of when, not if.

How I Became an Executor

So, how'd I get here?

I picked a challenge and then committed to completing it.

I started easy and built the muscle like I was going to the gym.

Here are some of the challenges:

  • Make my bed every day for a month
  • Floss 2x per day
  • Never go to bed with a dirty dish in the sink
  • Email inbox zero every night
  • Plan my day every night by timeboxing. Here's how
  • Get 8 hours of sleep. Here's how
  • Wake up at the same time every day
  • Go to the gym 6x per week
  • Write 10 comments on Reddit
  • Send 900 outbounds per week

I still do all these.

Plus, I'm always building this muscle. Right now, I'm doing a 30-day AI Challenge.

Here are the simple steps

  • Pick a challenge. Set a deadline. Execute
  • Track that you do it daily. Here's more detail
  • If you miss it, develop a hack to ensure you do --> Ex: Not getting 8 hours of sleep --> Don't sleep next to your phone

Here's a simple tracker

By executing, I built proof that I could do anything I put my mind to.

And, tbh, many days I feel like this:

Nothing is impossible. It might be harder, but if I can do it, so can you!

Reply "Execute" and I'll share all the ADHD Hacks I developed from my challenges.

To succeed, you must execute

  • Success = # of Smart Ideas Launched = Intelligence x Execution
  • Anyone can have good ideas. Not everyone will execute
  • Executing is a muscle. Start easy and build up

Song of the week

ScatterMind

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